It is unfortunate that the Modi government has turned out to be a replica of the UPA

The Modi government’s 2018 Budget has shifted India even more in the direction of self-destruction.

The main governance issue that SBP has been demanding – a massive increase in funding for justice and police and divesting commercial government activities – has not occurred. Instead, we see a massive fiscal deficit built on freebies and alleged welfare programs that are not workable.

The government displays zero understanding of the coordination function of the price system, else it would have freed up the farm sector instead of further locking it into a socialist nightmare with MSPs and such programs. As usual, poor farmers will be the last to benefit from this distortionary approach. They need freedom not subsidies.

Programs in the health and aged sector have no cogent logic and are destined to fray badly upon delivery.

It is unfortunate that the Modi government has turned out to be a replica of the UPA.